Also known as Agarwood, Oud is a very expensive raw material with spicy, wild and mysterious notes. A fragrance with purifying, aphrodisiac and sacred powers at the same time, which symbolizes wealth, power and seduction due to its rarity and value.

What is the mysterious oud

Characterized by animalistic and woody notes, a little smoky but also sweet and acrid, it is difficult to resist the charm of this ancient ingredient, symbol of the culture of the United Arab Emirates, called the "wood of the Gods", with a smell similar to very few others in nature.

Today, oud is one of the most used ingredients in Arab perfumery, but also in artistic perfumery which makes quality and rarity its most sought-after peculiarities. It is a dark, intense and aromatic resin very precious produced by the aquilaria, an evergreen tree in danger of extinction with white and delicately scented flowers, native to Southeast Asia (in particular Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia) and belonging to the Thymelaceae family, to protect the plant from the attack of fungi and mold.

The resin impregnates the wood of the tree, which grows up to 40 meters in height and reaches a diameter of 60 cm, and is visible only when the trunk is cut. The older the tree, the greater the aromatic yield of the resin. In fact, it is from the resins extracted from centuries-old trees that the highest quality of oud is obtained.

But since only about 7 aquilaria trees out of 100 are able to produce the resin, this raw material is extremely rare and, consequently, very expensive, in some periods even more than gold. This resin is also known as agarwood, wood of the gods, gaharu, calambac, jinko, eagle wood or al oud (a generic term for wood in Arabic).

The aroma of oud was foreign to Western noses for a very long time, who, not being accustomed to it, after discovering it associated it with the smell of sweat or animals, especially when oud wood is burned. In reality, it is a very complex, irresistible and sophisticated fragrance, slightly smoky, which needs the right amount of time to evolve on the skin, define a different aroma depending on the pH that welcomes it and release spicy, animalic, sweet, leathery and tobacco notes.

Due to its high cost, most perfume brands use synthetic oud essences. But since this natural ingredient is particularly complex, it is very difficult to reproduce it perfectly. Expert noses, of course, can distinguish artificial oud, more similar to leather and more sour, from natural oud, so sweet and balsamic.

In Laos, however, Aquilaria plantations have been developed with a system of inoculating bacteria under the bark of trees that are more than eight years old, in order to increase the availability of the precious resin. Today, in fact, the country produces about a ton of oud per year.

Fragrances with oud notes are sensual and wild, luxurious and irresistible, earthy and vibrant, designed for both men and women, but also available in unisex versions.

Oriental Dream has chosen for you…

Here is our selection of the best perfumes with oud notes on our online store.

December Vanilla by Paris Corner

A warm and enveloping fragrance, perfect for communicating sweetness and luxury. With aromatic and sophisticated top notes, vibrant and intriguing, such as rum, orchid, vanilla and jasmine, which leave room for a creamy and decadent heart, enriched with vanilla, spicy notes, leather, tonka bean, rose and crème brûlée. The base notes, those that imprint the fragrance with elegance and refinement, are brown sugar, amber, oud, patchouli and musk, for a persistent, warm and sensual base.

Jean Lowe Noir by Maison Alhambra

A mysterious and elegant unisex fragrance from the oriental woody family, this perfume envelops the senses in a sophisticated atmosphere. It opens deeply and intensely, with top notes of oud and incense, descends towards the heart of the fragrance with a mix of spicy saffron, sensual rose, sweet raspberry and fresh birch, until reaching the lasting imprint of the base notes, warm and enveloping, with notes of amber, benzoin and geranium.

Shaghaf Oud Tonka by Swiss Arabian

This unisex perfume from the oriental gourmand family literally inebriates the senses, transporting them to a luxurious atmosphere. The opening is in the hands of top notes of almond, so sweet and light, the heart notes inebriate with cinnamon, Tunisian orange blossom and Turkish rose, but what captures the permanent attention are the base notes of tonka bean, vanilla and amberwood, deeper and more persistent.

Inara Oud by Swiss Arabian

A feminine fragrance that allows women to shine with radiant and sensual beauty. A perfume that opens with herbaceous notes of valerian and touches of saffron, which give body to the wearer, while in the heart of the fragrance fragrant roses and juicy peaches and raspberries bloom. The base notes are characterized by a precious drop of oud, which elevates the golden harmony of the perfume, by a sensual vanilla and the warmth of teak wood.

Ministry of Oud by Oud Royal

A masculine fragrance from the fougère family, elegant and warm, with kaleidoscopic woody, aromatic green and spicy nuances, this perfume with fresh and woody notes opens with sharp, bright and fresh top notes of lemon, bergamot and red berries, to touch an elegant and sophisticated bouquet of cedar wood, angelica and galbanum, up to the spicy heart of cinnamon, the charm of musk and Tonka bean, including the well-blended oud note.